Desk structure



Nov. 10, 925" J VAALER DESK STRUCTURE Filed June 30. 1924 Patented Nov. 10,1925.

UNITED STATES 1,561,288 PATENT OFFICE.

JENS VAALER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CLEMETSEN COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DESK STRUCTURE.

Application filed June 30, 18-24. Serial No. 723,030.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, June VAALER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Desk Structures, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to desks and like structures, and such as the type having a movable table upon which may be supported objects, such as typewriters and other and like or similar devices.

In typewriter desks and similar devices having movable tables, the latter when in raised or usable position may be laterally offset or displaced from the normal, central or correct position of the table with respect to the body of the desk, owing to loose play in the mechanism for permitting the shifting of the table, or by reason of variations in manufacture of the parts, or the wearing of certain parts. These conditions may also result in lateral movements or vibrations of the table, especially when the typewriter or like device is being operated, thus resulting in an annoyance. The noises that may be effected by the vibrations would also be annoying and undesirable. Where desks and the like have means for limiting the position of the table when in raised or forward position, such means may from continued use and wear, or fromthe jolting and vibra tion of the parts of the machine, or device carried by the table, such as tabulating carriages, and the like, become loose or such as to permit loose play, resulting in vibrations and other undesirable conditions. 7

The present invention contemplates the avoidance of the above mentioned disadvantages and has'among its objects to provide a novel means for holding the table, especially when in raised and forward position, in stable position whereby it will not move, laterally or vertical, or vibrate; to provide for correcting the position of the table so that it will be in normally balanced relation or central position; to provide for guiding the table into such position, should it be laterally offset; to provide for yieldably holding the table in stable position; to pro-.

vide for automatically maintaining the table in such position should there'be a tendency for the table and the object carried by it, especially a tabulating machine, or the like, when operated wherein the carriage may effect jolts, to move or vibrate laterally; to

provide for automatically tightening the yielding means to constantly and substantially rigidly hold the table in normally proper position, but which will automatically and quickly release the table when the same is moved back to be stored within the body of the desk structure; and to provide for such other advantages, or objects and capabilities as may later appear and are inherently possessed by the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing illustrating a desk embodying the invention, Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view of a desk embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on a plane represented by line 22 in Fig. 1 of the drawing; and Fig. 3 is a view partly in perspective and partly in section of the invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing showing a desk selected to illustrate the application of. the invention, the desk is shown as comprising a body (1), supported upon legs (2), a typewriter supporting table and a top (4). The table (8) is supported upon brackets (5), secured to the table in any suitable manner and pivotally mounted by means of pivots (6), as clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawing. The top is pivotally connected to links (7), which in turn are pivotally connected by means of pivots (8) to the end walls (9) of the desk. The top (4) is also pivotally connected to a lever (10) fulcrumed on pivots (11) also secured to the side walls of the desk and having the other end of the levers provided with rollers (12) operating in a slotted member (13) secured to the bottom of the table (3) in any suitable manner. The top (4) may have a front board (14) as clearly shown in Fig. 1. When the top (4) and the table (3) are in usable or raised and forward position they will be in a full line position shown in Fig. 1 and when the top (4) is raised and the table lowered, they will be in the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1. I r

' Near the front of the desk and secured to the legs thereof is a rail (15) provided on its inner edge with one or more notches (16) into which extend a V-shaped spring portion (17) connected at its diverging ends with spring portions (18) suitably connected at ends thereof by screws (19) or similar securing devices as clearly shown in Figs. 1,

2 and 3 of the drawing. Either or both ends of the springs may have anchoring means (20) extending into the material of the rail desired.

Beneath the table (8) may be secured one or more projections or pins (21) which may have threaded portions extending into the material of the table These pins are located so that when the table (3) is raised and moved toward the front of the desk, the pins (21) will enter into the throats (22) of the V-shaped portions (17 of the springs and thereinto, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. It will be apparent, from the drawings, that the spring portions (18) normally are deflected from the inner edge of the rail so that as the pin (21) engages with the spring portion (17), the spring portions (18) may flex. toward the rail in proportion to the stress imposed upon the spring by the pin (21). The effect of this arrangement is that the weight of the top acts upon lever 10 so that the table is so supported thereby, when in raised position, to be constantly urged forwardly or toward the front of the desk, so that the pins will be constantly held into the V- shaped portions of the springs. As the pms are thus forced into these spring portions the side portions of the V-shaped part 17 will flex laterally against the pin to automatically tighten upon the pin, thereby making the grip upon the pin greater and greater as the pin tends to be forced toward the front of the desk. The shape of the spring parts are such that if the pins re ceive lateral jolts or vibrations, the side of part 17 against which the pin bears or tends to move, so flexes as to cause the sides of the part 17 to more tightly grasp the pin and prevent movement or to dampen any tendency to lateral vibration of the pin, and hence the table and the parts connected to it.

It will also be apparent that the notch (16) is of such a size and shape that it will permit a certain movement, toward the front, of the spring portion (17), without interfering with the function thereof.

It will also be noticed that the spring portion (17) is divergent, or, in other words, with converging side wall portions (213), tapering toward the front of the desk so that if the table is laterally offset or varies from balanced or central position, the pin (21) may engage with one of the inclined surfaces (23) and be guided thereby into corrected or central position so that the table, which may have been laterally offset by reason of looseness of parts or wear. may assume a corrected or central Sitl011 with respect -to the other parts of the desk body. At the same time the pin (21) will be held substantially securely in position so as to prevent any lateral vibration of the table but not so securely but that the table may be readily moved backward and release the pins (21) from the spring portions (17), when it is desired to nest or store the table within the desk body.

Just as soon as the pin starts to move backward the sides of part 17 will quickly and automatically release the pin, the reflexing of the spring parts 18 acting to open or widen the throat of part 17.

Although I have disclosed the invention with the spring on the desk body and the projection cooperating with it, as carried by the table, it is to be understood that this relation of the springs and pin may be changed, such as the springs being carried upon the table and the projections upon some fixed part of the desk body.

lVhile I have herein described and upon the drawings shown, an embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular details, construction and arrangement of parts described and shown, but that it also comprehends other constructions, arrangements of parts, and details without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A desk of the character described comprising a body provided with a front rail, a table movably mounted in said body, and table-restraining means mounted 011 the rail and cooperating with a portion of the table contiguous to said rail to limit relative movement of the table and the body.

2. A desk of the character described comprising a body provided with a front rail, a table movably mounted in said body, means for guiding the table into a normally central location when moved to a position of use, and table restraining means mounted on the rail and cooperating with a portion of the table contiguous to said rail to limit relative movement of the table and the body.

8. In a desk structure having a body and a movable table, means on the body of the desk for limiting the movement of the table when brought to raised position, means carried by the table and cooperating with said limiting means for holding the table against lateral movement when in raised position.

1. In a desk structure having a body and a movable table, a yieldable member on the body of the desk, and an abutting element carried by the table and engaging with said yieldable member when the table is in raised position, said member yielding in proportion to the movement of the table toward the front of the desk structure.

In a desk structure having a body and a movable table, a yieldable member on the body of the desk, an abutting member carried by the the table and engaging with said yieldable member when the table is in raised position, said member yielding a movable table, a yieldable member on thebody of the desk, an abutting member carried by the table and engaging with said yieldable member when the table is in raised 5 and forward position, said member yielding in proportion to the forward movement of the table, said member having converging parts for guiding said element into balanced position and for holding the same and the table from lateral movement or vibration when in raised position.

7. In a desk having a body and a movable table capable of supporting an object, such as a typewriter or the like, a rail carried by the body near the front thereof and having guide means, a projection on the table and cooperable with the guide means for bringing the table into corrected position when the same is brought to raised position.

8. In a desk having a body and a movable table capable of supporting an object, such as a typewriter or the like, a rail carried by the body near the front thereof, a resilient member on the rail, a projection carried by the table and engageable with the resilient member whereby said member resiliently holds the table in position, said member flexing in proportion to the movement of the table, when brought to forward position.

9. In a desk having a body and a movable table capable of supporting an object, such as a typewriter or the like, a rail carried by the body near the front thereof, a resilient member engaging the rail and having a reentrant angular portion, a projection carried by said table and located to enter said angular portion when the table is moved into raised position, said projection and angular portion acting to prevent lateral movement of the table.

10. In a desk having a body and a movable table capable of supporting an object, such as a typewriter or the like, a rail carried by the body near the front thereof, and having a notch therein, a projection carried by the table and capable of entering the notch when the table is moved into raised position and cooperating with said notch for holding the table stably.

11. In a desk having a body and a movable table capable of supporting an object, such as a typewriter or the like, a rail carried by the body near the front thereof and having a notch therein, a projection carried by the table and capable of entering the notch when the table is moved into raised position, and means cooperable with the projection and entering the notch for guiding the projection into balanced position and for holding the table stably.

12. In a desk having a body and a movable table capable of supporting an object, such as a typewriter or the like, a rail carried by the body near the front thereof and having a notch therein, a projection carried by the table and capable of entering the notch when the table is moved into raised position, and a spring secured to the rail and having a tapered portion extending into the notch .for receiving the projection when the table is brought into raised position, the tapered portion of the spring acting to guide the projection into place and flexing by the movement of the table when brought to raised position.

13. In a desk structure having relatively movable parts, a projection on one of said parts and a resilient member on the other of said parts, and cooperating when said parts are moved in one relation to prevent relative lateral vertical movement of said parts.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name to this specification.

J ENS VAALER. 

